Human Papillomavirus Vaccine Policy in the U.S

i ABSTRACT JENNIFER C. JARRELL Human Papillomavirus Vaccine Policy in the United States (Under the direction of RUSS TOAL, FACULTY MEMBER) HPV vaccine school entry mandates and vaccine funding by state was examined using the Diffusion of Innovations (DOI) theory. The DOI was applied to HPV immunization policy to evaluate the rate of vaccine adoption and to determine whether associations existed between an empirical need for vaccine adoption and action by the states. State-level data on political characteristics, health and policy were collected from several secondary sources. Data analyses were performed utilizing SPSS logistic regression models. Odds rations were used to evaluate the associations between the independent and dependent variables to determine whether there was a statistical significance level of .05. Cervical Cancer incidence in a state was significantly associated with HPV school entry mandates (proposed or enacted), but it did not show a significant association with HPV vaccine funding. Diffusion of vaccine innovation is slow, which may offer additional opportunities to evaluate effective policy strategies for coverage and use of the HPV vaccine.